Presents a global overview of the worldwide revolution for democracy. Revel also discusses the weaknesses of democracy, pointing out the errors consistently made by the democracies in the struggle against communism, and assessing democracy's current chances for survival in the Third World.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this combination of current affairs survey, political analysis and conservative jeremiad, French commentator Revel ( How Democracies Perish ) cautions those who believe in "the inevitable triumph of liberal democracy." While some of his analysis is questionable--Has Sweden's social democratic model really collapsed? Is Franz Fanon "junk"?--Revel's defense of his previous polemics is forceful. He argues thoughtfully that the rebellions against communism do not constitute revolutions but rather "an attempt to return to square one, that is to say the position before communism." His diatribe against anti-democratic Third World plutocrats, if somewhat overbroad and dated, nonetheless does make clear his case for liberalism. Revel is less convincing when he addresses the problems of democratic countries, citing as the causes the usual triad of corruption, media-driven politics and the decline of citizenship. His reliance on the example of his home country leads him to damn the "French egalitarian passion'; others might argue that the United States could use a dose of such egalitarianism.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
The elder-statesman/philosopher of the French right ponderously warns that humanity must choose between ``democratic capitalism or extinction,'' and calls for ``liberal democracies'' to assert their ``right to intervene'' in other nations' affairs. Revel (The Flight from Truth, 1991, etc.) marginalizes his argument by noting that this book is about ``the search for the best political system available, or at any rate the least pernicious one.'' He never specifies exactly which democracies should intervene against the likes of a Saddam Hussein, or by whose authority or at whose behest. But Revel believes that, however imperfect, it's the Free World's responsibility to forcefully curb arms proliferation in the Third World, to stop the spread of AIDS, to mandate agrarian reform, and to level punitive measures against any country that allows destructive fishing practices. As for the ``collapse'' of Communism, we must still be vigilant: The rise to democracy is incomplete, and it's ``easier to return to democracy from a fascist military dictatorship than from a socialist- progressive dictatorship.'' While ``liberal democratic capitalism'' may have its imperfections, ``what we know about all the tested alternatives...is that they have no qualities.'' Former Communist states are ``abnormal societies'' that can become normal again--but not through the reforms of a Gorbachev or ``the celebrated `third way' '' of democratic socialism. Normalcy can be achieved only by destroying all vestiges of totalitarianism. As democracy spreads, though, problems arise due ``to a return of national, local, and individual particularities''--and so does Revel explain and seem to excuse the strife in Bosnia, French racism, and the rise of neo- Nazism in Germany. In Revel's view, apparently, ``democracy'' need no longer be representative or born of idealism: It need only claim the name. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Communism: A Knife Without A Blade, Lacking A Handle,
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This review is from: Democracy Against Itself the Future of the Democratic Impulse (Board book)
Jean-Francois Revel died recently. It was a tragic loss for critical political thought. Revel, long established as the senior statesman of French political commentary, has written many books, all of which are worth reading. "Democracy Against Itself" was written at an interesting time for the world: it was published in 1993, and had seen the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, yet did not have the advantage of seeing the subsequent outcomes of the fall of the Soviet Union. Interestingly, this thoughtful commentary has proven far more durable and accurate in it's predictions than most other books of the same era.
The title of my review comes, of course, from the famous quote by Georg Cristoph Lichtenberg, and Revel accurately uses it as a metaphor for the hollow promises of communism and socialism. Perhaps better than any other author (perhaps excluding Solzhenitsyn) Revel analyzes not only the objective failures of communism and socialism, but the underlying reasons behind the failures, both from a historical and a human behavioral point of view. Unsurprisingly, Revel was generally unpopular in his native France, where he was an outspoken critic of socialism (and especially of the illegal activities of the Mitterrand government) and a proponent of representational democracy, with specific admiration for the US. This book not only is effective in defending democracy and capitalism, it is insightful into the parallels of socialism and third world politics (which very often are the same thing,) with special dislike for policies of the UN which have tended to impede development and human rights furtherance in the third world, especially in post-colonial Africa. Chapter twelve is devoted to the problems inherent in Islamic governments, and is especially noteworthy given subsequent events. The foreshadowing Revel provides in this chapter is not only visionary, but accurate. As far as I am concerned chapter twelve is the most important in the book and should be studied thoroughly by anyone with an interest in current world events. The book has a couple of trifling faults, however. The first is in the latter part of the book when Revel discusses "interventionism." I believe that he fails to make the case conclusively for the setting of interventionist policies, and leaves the issue at least partly unresolved. The second is a byproduct of his exceptional intellect: the book is very verbose, and in translation from the original French, is occasionally difficult to read. I am not arguing that a book of this complexity or stature should be light reading, only that some sentences are more convoluted than absolutely necessary, occasionally to the detraction of the underlying point of discussion. This is an important book. Despite the fact that it is now thirteen years old, it still contains utterly brilliant analysis of current and historical events, and is an excellent introductory course in the political analysis of communist and socialist governments and their pitfalls. I got this book out when I heard of Revel's passing. His was an intellect and wit rarely seen, and his thoughts, even though imperfect, are always lucidly presented and worth consideration. I highly recommend this book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
revell and reagan what a pair,
By vanblogdorp "puyallup" (seattle) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Democracy Against Itself the Future of the Democratic Impulse (Board book)
Much more hopeful and upbeat than How Democracies perish, Revel has had a Damascus Road experience. His concepts of Third Worldism and the cycle of dependency fostered by statist markets is clear and ineluctable, and can be seen still influencing the Africa of today.
Yes he does forshadow the rise of Islamo-fascism well but makes a strong case throughout his book that there is a moral duty, of even petrhaps intervention for democractic nations when confronted by governments that oppress their consitutencies
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